Welcome everyone to the latest preview for the Ragin Cajuns! In this week’s edition is a look at the Cajuns matchup against the Tulane Green Wave.
Last Week: The Ragin Cajuns got another win on the board on Saturday with a 28-23 win over South Alabama to open up their conference schedule. Tulane on the other hand, lost to Navy after a late touchdown by the score of 21-14.
Last Meeting: The last time these two met, it was in the 2013 New Orleans Bowl and the Cajuns won 24-21. This win along with their victory in 2012 were vacated in 2015 due to NCAA allegations. The Green Wave lead the overall series 21-4.
What to Watch For:
Tulane’s Quarterback Conundrum: One thing that the Green Wave will be dealing with on Saturday night will be deciding who will be the starting quarterback. Last week, true freshman Johnathan Brantley and had an underwhelming performance against Navy where he went 3-for-12 and 21 yards. Head coach Willie Fritz said that it was too early to tell if Brantley would be starting quarterback this weekend. When you have a performance like that, sometimes you need to make a change. Look at what happened at LSU when their quarterback was underperforming.
Changes at Special Teams for the Cajuns: After what was a poor performance from sophomore Stevie Artigue, the Cajuns are beginning to look at a placekicker. Dylan Scheurich seems to be the front runner after he came and nailed the extra point after Artigue missed two of them along with a 30-yarder. Mark Hudspeth went on to say after the game Saturday that you need to make those point afters. Unless Artigue can show out during practice this week, his days may be numbered as the placekicker for this team.
Prepare for the Run: Both of these teams are great at the running game, as that has been the bulk of their offense at this point of the season. Last week, the Green Wave put up 272 yards on the ground in a losing effort while the Cajuns had 270. The big difference between these two is that the Cajuns can shut down a run game based off of last week’s performance where they kept it below 100 yards against South Alabama. With the limited performance in the passing game, the Cajuns could have a slight edge on Saturday with another solid defensive performance.
The Cajuns Will Win If:
The Cajuns can make it 3-1 to start the year if they can have a similar offensive performance like they did last week. The big plays that the Cajuns had on Saturday proved to be the difference especially if McGuire can catch fire like he did against the Jags. Also, if the front seven can excel, this could become a one-sided affair quickly.
Tulane Will Win If:
If the Green Wave can be dominant on the ground, they will be able to take down the Cajuns and get back to .500. They have the coaching talent to get them where they want to be, but they will need the defense to continue to be hardnosed and a win is within their grasp.
-Clint Domingue